Mini Reviews
The Vampire's Assistant (out now) is about a teenager who attends a freak show and winds up being turned into a "half vampire". He then becomes part of a vampire war where he must battle his best friend (who is also now a vampire). It's a pretty flimsy plot with not a lot of entertainment. Few jokes. Many characters underutilised. Poor. Grade: C.
Remember Me (out Mar 11) is a simple, yet effective story about relationships. The way in which friends, family and lovers connect. It took a little while for me to warm to the characters but I grew to like them. This laid the groundwork for the film's ending. I'm such a sucker for reflective montages. Grade: A-.
My One And Only (out Mar 11) is a 1950s drama about a woman (Renee Zellweger) who takes her two sons on a road trip across America in search of a wealthy husband. Zellweger is surprisingly good (I usually dislike her) as is youngster Logan Lerman (from the Percy Jackson movie). It goes through a few small luls but I was always interested in how it would pan out. Grade: B+.
Separation City (out now) is a New Zealand film starring Joel Edgerton as a married man who has fallen in love with another woman. There are some nice jokes (many revolving around NZ politician) but the story was a little too convenient and the narration is overdone. Grade: B.
Green Zone (out Mar 11) is terrific. It brought back memories of Blood Diamond (another film I liked) in that it's a Hollywood-style action film but also contains a strong political message. Not a bad way to tell a story. Matt Damon is great and Paul Greengrass's fast-paced direction is reminiscent of his work in the last two Bourne movies. Grade: A-.
Dear John (out Mar 4) is spread across a number of years and is about a young soldier's (Channing Tatum) relationship with his autistic father (Richard Jenkins) and his first true love (Amanda Seyfried). Jenkins is amazing. His performance brought a tear to my eye. I was a little bored though by the war and "letter writing" sequences. From the same author of The Notebook and I can see the similarities. Grade: B.
Alice In Wonderland (out Mar 4) is like the first Narnia movie - except not as exciting and not as adventurous. It lacks passion and it feels like you're just going through the motions. 3D is under utilised too. Aussie Mia Wasikowska was the only strong point - she's nice in the leading role despite the script giving her nothing to work with. Director Tim Burton's best days are behind him. Grade: C+.
The Men Who Stare At Goats (out Mar 4) has some big name stars (Clooney, Bridges, McGregor, Spacey) and is about an experiment within the U.S. army where men were trained to use super powers to subdue the enemy. I would have rather watched actual men stare at actual goats for 90 minutes. This is just stupid. What was the point? I didn't get it. Grade: C.
A Single Man (out Feb 25) is about an English professor (Firth) who is struggling to overcome the sudden death of his long time partner (Goode). With less dialogue than you'd expect, director Tom Ford (a fashion designer by trade) lets his camera do the talking. I loved the facial close ups and creative mix of colours. A beautiful movie. Grade: A.
The Blind Side (out Feb 25) is based on a true story. A wealthy family takes in a homeless teenager and helps him with studies. When they realise his potential on the football field, doors start opening and a lucrative college scholarship beckons. Sandra Bullock has never been better. I also like the screenplay which doesn't get bogged down with drama. It's a happy, feel-good crowd pleaser. Grade: A-.
From Paris With Love (out now) features the unlikely combination of John Travolta and Jonathan Rhys Meyers. They play two government agents who go on a killing spree across Paris (well, Travolta does all the killing) in an effort to destroy a terrorist cell. It tries to be a little different but in the end, it's just another forgettable action film. Grade: C+.
